Twatutia, 8th and 9th June.
The Fokien arrived with a large quan of lead. The Customs on this occasion toftised to allow it to be landed, although on a previous occasion they permitted some 130 pigs to be landed out of " steamer be-IWnging to the same company. A ju-k arrived at Tamsui with lead and her cargo is being lauded. One or two jun the mainland have arrived at port West Coast, and have discharged hundeod pigs of ouffer Chine Itis said that instructions from Peking not to allow lead to be landed out of foreign steamers, Why do these instructions apply only to foreign ships and not to junks also 10th June.
Arrival of Hailoong reported. Lead on board, but can't be landed. El hat boon {importing lead in treasure boxes, a The boxes were examined in the usual way, and were found to contain about two tin plates only, the remainder of their contents being lead, It strikes us as b remarkably strange that the Custome authorities are so keen in stopping the import of lead, an article of trade so much required by tea packers who contribute to the Tamsui Customs revenue more any one else, We do not expect Customs officers to neglect their duty in any way, to oblige merchants, and we know that in this instance they are simply executing orders, which must be carried out. But if loi contraband of war surely della: are also, and yet dollars, and it is reporte soldiers' are nut objected to, but are pasted " frosty.
13th June
Admiral Cour! of meeting would appear hat, the story about General Liu able source."
General Soon is going in for a Tamsui regatta during the present festive season, and a considerable sum of money has been collected from ti diers and officers stationed at Hupei. Chinese regattas in former years were held up the river at Banca, or near Twatutia, but con-nonce of the repulse of the French 8th October Inst General Soon por hay thinks it more expedient to hold it at 1 ancha The races in long snake boats have been going on for some days, and will lish, we suppose, on the grand holiday on the 7th i General Soon is a most important individual, no doubt, and may know how to keep his troops marder, but nottwithstanding all this he is unmistakeably under the thumb of ral Liu Ming-chuan and can do nothing in the way of opening the port and allowing ships to enter the river without taking orders direct from Liu. Before the raising of the blockade, General Soon gave out (it was rumoured) that the French ships would be di away by the Chinese fleet and that he would open the port in April. The Frouch ships having left under the terms of an "armistice," the General now changes front and refuses to remove obstacles on the bar, such as sunken junks, piles of atones, and old torpedoes which ave been under water far longer than is good for them, and which had better be exploded and renewed rather than left in a state of doubt as to their destructive utility. The torpedo business has been conducted in a most secret form, and no one, except perhaps the solitary torpedoist who laid them down originally, could arrange to work them scientifically and successfully. These torpedoes are, it is said, attached to an electric battery on shore. "It would in these peaceful times be expedient, one would Ahink, to let them of and ley fresh ones down, no enemy being in sight. It would be good practice any low, and would be an experiment which would be instructive perhaps to those in charge of such warlike gear. Would they go of? is moot question, Are they in the posi tions still that they were placed in mouths A months ago? It is very doubtful. But of courao such matters are really of no consequence now. if they have not all left ther mooring grounds they may be i the fair way of ships, and consequently if not taken up and removed accidents may happen. If these torpedoes have not been changed since they were originally laid down we feel convinced that they would not explode after being under water 80 many months, 14th June.
Frightfully hot again; 94 deg. in the shade. General Son's subscription regatta going on. Long snake boats men, using paddles, conter other, all stripped to the waist. A terrific pace is attained for about 100 yards or 80, and the struggle is kept up for another 100 yards or more, when all is over. boats are long and snaky in shape and are each propelled by 20 men and more, They spurt from the start to finish, misuse a lot of great 1 wake noond of a lath June, bringing news of peace duly signed. She has a heavy cargo of lead, and permission is now given to laud same vide notification below.
J.D.
(Copy) HB.ML's Consulate, Tamsui, 15th June, 1885, The undersigned has been officially informed by the Commissioner of Customs that the Treaty of Peace between France and Chin: having been signed at Tientein, all reatrioti imposed at this port on the land tions of war, lead and rice included, have been removed from to-day (Sd) A, Fearon, Consul, Daily Press,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.